Joshua 6:6-7
So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it." And he ordered the army, "Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord."
We can see the obedience of Joshua from the scripture passage above. If we think about it, how is it possible for anyone to fight a war like that? Joshua had lots of experience with warfare, but to circle around a city without making any noise totally defies all the principles of military that he has learned. Experience can help us when we face difficulties, but it can also be a hindrance for experiencing God's renewed grace. When we worship, some of us are not used to raising our hands, because that's not what they did before. Some people are not used to praying out loud in public because they've never done it before. I remember that when we first participated in the gatherings up in the prayer mountain in Korea, we discovered that there were no chairs around because everyone was kneeing on the ground. To those of us who were not used to kneeing down, it was easy to go down but hard to get up, because our legs became numb. Not only that, there were no restaurants on the prayer mountain because everyone was fasting. Some people prayed loudly in the prayer caves all night, and their sound from up in the mountain made me unable to sleep all ngiht.
I felt really detested the whole setup in the first few days of gathering. Then God's Spirit reminded me that when I reject these formalities, I'm also rejecting the grace behind the formalities. Indeed, who claims that once must fast or eat and drink in order to become closer to God? The question is what our hearts truly value. If we value the action of raising our hands or not raising our hands, then we've missed the true meaning of worship. Our experience from the past often hinders us, but thank God that Joshua was not hindered by his past experience, but he simply followed the guidance of God.
Also, we can see the obedience of the people from this passage. If we are told to circle a city once, what would we say? Not just for one day, but for six days in a roll, and only gets more difficult day after day. After first day, nothing happens; after second day, not even a single dust fell. After the third day, the wall remained sturdy. Are we supposed to keep on going on the fourth and fifth day? We thank God because the Israelites at the time were probably as obedient as they ever were throughout the history of Israel. They completely obeyed, so this miracle could have been accomplished through them. Brothers and sisters, are you willing to discipline yourself in the lesson of obedience?
Lord, we thank you because Joshua was a great example of spirituality for us. May the Lord help us not to be influenced by our past experience. Help us not to just focus on the formalities, but to focus on the Lord yourself. May the Lord give us an obedience heart so that your will may be done. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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